NEW MILFORD -- Tuesday morning was foggy and damp, but that didn't keep drivers from speeding along Danbury Road. And it didn't keep Police Officer David Petersen, taking part in the town's first day of "enhanced" enforcement, from writing a sheaf of tickets.

In his first hour patrolling the road near Faith Church, Petersen wrote four tickets and issued one warning. Most of those who got tickets were going 60 in the 45-mph zone.

"Generally speaking, on this road drivers will maintain a speed of 55 mph, even though the posted speed limit is 45 mph," Petersen said. "It's up to the officer on what his tolerance is for driving over the limit -- but this is a no-nonsense day."

From Aug. 5 through Sept. 30, town police will conduct what they call "enhanced speed enforcement," with the goal of reducing avoidable speed-related accidents by 15 percent. The program is being paid for with a $20,000 grant from the state Department of Transportation's Connecticut Highway Safety Plan.

New Milford police records show 70 accidents in 2013 caused by "speed too fast for road conditions." So far this year, 55 accidents have fallen into that category.

The department also records figures for accidents where speed is a contributing factor. Sgt. James Dzanko said this category includes crashes where, for example, one driver stops suddenly and another driver following runs into him, often because the second driver is going too fast.

In 2013, 216 accidents were caused by following too closely, and 132 so far in 2014.

Petersen , like all officers in the enhanced program, used a hand-held laser device instead of radar.

"Both radar and laser are accurate for gauging speed, but when monitoring large groups of cars, the laser can pinpoint what specific vehicle is exceeding the speed limit," Petersen said.

The second car stopped for speeding Tuesday morning -- a white Ford Escape -- was clocked by the laser at 61 mph from a distance equivalent to three football fields.

The four-lane section of Danbury Road south of Sullivan Road to the Brookfield border is considered a limited-access road, and speeding there is classed as a misdemeanor offence, not an infraction, and therefore carries a higher fine.

"People don't realize when they hit this divided roadway that they're not on the highway yet," Petersen noted. "It's still considered a town side road and the speed limit is still 45 mph."